GETS (Government Electronic Tendering Service)

GETS stands for the Government Electronic Tendering Service. It is the Government of Canada's online system, accessed through the CanadaBuys website, for publishing federal tender opportunities, amendments and award information. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) refers to it as the Government of Canada's Electronic Tendering Service, also known as CanadaBuys.

In supplier guidance, GETS is often written as a pair with a privately operated national electronic tendering platform that carries opportunities from federal, provincial, territorial and municipal buyers. The two systems are related but separate. GETS is government-run and is the official federal source. The private platform serves as a channel for some federal notices and as the main tendering service for certain provincial governments and defence-related buyers.

What GETS does on CanadaBuys

Procurement Assistance Canada describes GETS as the central access point for federal procurement information. Through it, suppliers can search tender opportunities, contract history, standing offers and supply arrangements. The Procurement Assistance Canada resource on CanadaBuys sets out this role.

PSPC's supplier guidance calls GETS the official source suppliers should rely on to find Government of Canada tenders. Federal departments and agencies use it to advertise their requirements. The same material explains how to search for opportunities, as covered in the federal overview of how government buys and the page on searching for opportunities.

The private national platform paired with GETS

The second half of the combined label is a privately operated electronic tendering service that is not government-owned. It aggregates public-sector opportunities from every level of government. Several public bodies use it directly.

• Manitoba states that all of its tenders over the trade agreement thresholds are advertised and distributed through this service on the province's behalf, as described on the Manitoba how government buys page.
• Defence Construction Canada publishes its tenders and requests for proposals there. It also publishes them on CanadaBuys when they are subject to trade agreements and at or above the agreement thresholds.
• Defence Construction Canada receives bids and proposals electronically through the platform. An account is not needed to view opportunities, but it is required to order documents and submit bids. Details are in the Defence Construction Canada FAQ.

The Government of Canada also arranges free access to federal tender opportunities on the platform, while fees can apply to provincial and municipal tenders.

Where GETS publication is required

Federal rules make GETS a mandatory step in specific situations. PSPC's strategy commits the department to publishing all of its solicitations on GETS for defined bidding periods. The commitment excludes one-time purchases with a requisition value below $25,000, as set out in the PSPC publication.

Advance Contract Award Notices (ACANs) also depend on GETS. The CanadaBuys buyer's guide states that an ACAN must be published on GETS. It is posted for a minimum of fifteen calendar days so that other suppliers can submit statements of capabilities. See the guide to advance contract award notices.

Federal solicitations repeat the point in their own wording. RCMP and Parks Canada notices direct bidders to obtain documents through GETS at CanadaBuys. They say amendments and significant enquiries and replies will be posted there, and that bidders must consult GETS regularly. Canada accepts no responsibility for third-party notification services, and bidders who rely on documents from other sources do so at their own risk.

What GETS and the private platform mean for your bid team

Treat GETS as the authority for any federal opportunity. Check the notice and every amendment there, even if you first spotted the tender elsewhere. Missing an amendment is the bidder's risk, not the buyer's.

Add the private platform to your monitoring if you pursue Defence Construction Canada work or tenders from governments such as Manitoba. Register an account early, because you need one to order documents and submit bids on those opportunities. Confirm in each notice which channel receives the bid, and keep your account details current so that nothing delays a submission close to the deadline.